Eat Drink Man Woman

It's strange. Even though he won an Oscar for directing Brokeback Mountain (and will hopefully repeat the feat with Life of Pi), Ang Lee is still a relatively underrated name in the industry. I don't understand why that is.

I mean, his films are diverse in both setting and subject matter. He can go from stylized action movie to literary adaptation with ease. Granted, not all of his films are great (Ride with the Devil damn near killed me from sheer boredom), but the right films are the ones nobody forgets.

One such film is his 1994 film Eat Drink Man Woman. Revolving around a widower and his three grown daughters, the film depicts the lives they lead, the daughters striving to find their place in society (and love).

As expected for an Ang Lee film, it's visually stunning. Like what Peter Pau, Rodrigo Prieto and Claudio Miranda respectively did with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, Lust, Caution and Life of Pi, Lin Jong makes the imagery come alive. From the various prepared dishes to the various shots of Taipei, the cinematography is as crucial to the story as the characters.

Although I didn't love it as much as Brokeback Mountain or Life of Pi, I did thoroughly enjoy Eat Drink Man Woman. Sometimes you don't need big names in the casts or loads of sex scenes to sell a film. Sometimes all you need is a good story.

My Rating: ****1/2